The steering feels heavy oncentre, but then over-responds to a firm twist. The cheapest six-cylinder Benz sedan is the more polished $49,950 C280.Ĭompared to the BMW's impeccable road manners, the C-230 showed its age, feeling like it had a case of creaky knees: Having recently gushed over the new BMW 3 Series sedans, I held the similarly priced ($44,900 to start) 328i up as a yardstick. It was also slathered with cheap-looking "carbonoptic" trim around the door frames and on the dashboard. My Sport model ($45,650 plus almost $5,000 in options) was fitted with 16-inch wheels and performance Pirelli P-6000 tires and handsome rocker-panel cladding, drawing admiring comments from my Euro import-driving neighbours. (The transmission's electronics are programmed to warm up the catalytic converter as quickly as possible for low exhaust emissions.) To make it worse, the transmission holds first and second gears longer until the engine warms up, adding jerkiness to the din. The growly supercharged four rattles and whines after a cold start. The C-230K is so good, in fact, that it pretty much obviates the need for the much pricier C-280 which, on a roughly equipment-adjusted basis costs an extra $6,100.įirst impressions are the longest lasting, and Mercedes' C-230 Kompressor makes a lousy one each morning. Its solid structure and the confidence with which it tackles every driving manoeuvre is as evident here as in any other, more expensive Benz. Gruff engine aside, though, the Kompressor offers you the full Mercedes experience, starting at a reasonable $37,950. Starting in second also attenuates the engine's rough, growly exhaust note under acceleration. Second gear-start "winter" mode most of the time — the 2.3 L supercharged four pulls as hard in second (torque is 200 lbft, 5 more than the costlier C280) as most cars do in first. The five-speed's one-two shift is jerky, too, especially at part throttle. The traditional Mercedes gated shifter (still my favourite way to swap cogs in an automatic) has been dumbed down: fourth, third and second gears are now in a straight line, making selecting the proper gear more difficult. The way-cool but ultimately too-slow single wiper had a hard time keeping up with heavy rainfall. BAS, as it's called, is standard on all C-Class sedans. And, try as I might to fool it by jabbing at the pedal, it never kicked in when I didn't want it to. The system works brilliantly, besting even my finest threshold-braking efforts. The brakes are amazing, and in addition to being fitted with standard ABS, also come with Brake Assist, which senses when a driver wants a panic stop and automatically applies full braking force. Its adaptive five-speed automatic snaps off perfect full-throttle upshifts and its front double-wishbone and rear multi-link suspension keep it pinned down in fast corners. With 37 more horsepower than its C-230 predecessor, the Kompressor charges down the road with the same authority as any bigger, more powerful Mercedes. Some nagging reminders that you're driving a bargain Benz: the steering wheel isn't adjustable unless you spend $240 and the trunk pops open with a clang — no smooth hydraulic struts here.īut time behind the wheel quickly has you forgetting such cheapnesses. I was expecting to dislike the multi-functional tape/CD/radio/cellphone head unit, but found it surprisingly easy to use, with excellent FM reception. Its interior (nicely finished in synthetic leather with walnut accents on my tester) is a tight fit for four. The C-Class is a five-year-old design and its shape is now the least elegant of any Mercedes — a situation not helped by the dark-tinted tail-lamps and new rocker panels added last year. If you're an active redditor, this shouldn't affect you.Although the current Mercedes-Benz C-Class is, judging by the spy photos and stories I've been seeing with increasing frequency, on its last legs, the latest addition to the line, the 185 hp C-230 Kompressor, proves there's a lot of life still left in the platform. Note, posting multiple times from the same blog or online magazine a week will be considered spam and can can lead to your account being banned.Ī new rule has been set in place to remove posts from new reddit accounts, or accounts with less than 5 comment karma. It does not require a subscription to view It is acceptable to post links to online magazines as long as: Imgur or similar photo sharing sites are your best bet. Links to photos of cars in classified ads will be flagged as spam. Post pictures of your projects! Other redditors would love to see them. A place to discuss or post pictures of classic cars, trucks, or bikes including hot rods, car shows and auto museums.
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